32 



HORTICULTURE 



January 11, 1919 



most Important, first of all, that the 

 estate owners be fully informed that 

 there is a most decided difference be- 

 tween the thoroughly practical gar- 

 dener, who has acquired his knowl- 

 edge through life long training, and 

 those who possess but a haphazard 

 knowledge gained through a few sea- 

 son's work in gardens as laborers, do- 

 ing odd jobs out of season, and then 

 launching forth as full fledged gar- 

 deners. 



It has been my experience in com- 

 ing in contact with country estate 

 owners, though there have been ex- 

 ceptions, when the matter is properly 

 presented to them, that, through ef- 

 ficiency, economies In labor and in 

 general expenditures result with will 

 more than offset any difference be- 

 tween a poorly paid, Incapable gar- 

 dener, and a well paid, thoroughly re- 

 liable gardener, who through his ef- 

 ficiency obtains the greatest results 

 at the least cost, that efficiency is pre- 

 ferred. 



I have met gardeners who have oc- 

 cupied one position for years, giving 

 entire satisfaction to their employers, 

 but receiving the same amount of pay 

 that they received when they first ac- 

 cepted the position. They were dis- 

 satisfied and complaining, but were 

 venting their grievances on those 

 wholly disinterested in them, while 

 lacking courage to approach their em- 

 ployers, who in all probabilities felt 

 that their gardeners were content with 

 their lot. To such a gardener I offer 

 the suggestion that he approach his 

 employer in a businesslike manner, 

 but not at a time when his financial 

 horizon appears clouded; direct his at- 

 tention to the fact that the cost of 

 children's shoes have more than 

 doubled In price In the past four 

 years, and other living expenses In 

 proportion, and if he is a reasonable 

 employer, he will recognize the force 

 of the argument. It he is not, let the 

 gardener abide his time, and when a 

 better opportunity present Itself, ac- 

 cept it. Gardeners with "no encum- 

 brances" must modify the argument, 

 though no doubt even those so un- 

 fortunate as to occupy single men's 

 positions have felt the sting of the 

 high cost of living. 



The question often arises, what 

 should be a suitable salary for a gar- 

 dener? There can be no agreed scale 

 on which to base an answer, for there 

 are no two places with conditions just 

 alike, and it remains a matter of ne- 

 gotiation between employer and em- 

 ployee. It can be reiterated in this 

 connection, however, that on but few 

 of the extensive country estates, the 



gardeners are receiving salaries that 

 are anywhere nearly in proportion to 

 salaries received by men in other oc- 

 cupations, whose positions entail no 

 greater responsibilities than those of 

 an estate superintendent. 



Before concluding, I am going to re- 

 fer to a subject that has recently been 

 much agitated in elite garden circles. 

 Just why gardeners and the horticul- 

 tural business should be singled out 

 in a crusade against a practice as old 

 and as far reaching as trade Itself, is 

 not apparent, for the Federal Trade 

 Commission states that investigation 

 has revealed commercial bribery to be 

 general throughout many industries. 



There are black sheep in every pro- 

 fession and the gardening profession 

 has never claimed immunity. There 

 are unscrupulous lawyers; there are 

 quack doctors; there are bad minis- 

 ters; but their professions are not con- 

 demned for it, so is it just to attempt 

 to discredit the gardening profession 

 for the misdeeds of a few in it. I can 

 conscientiously declare that In my 

 wide experience with men in all sta- 

 tions of life that, taken as a whole, I 

 have not found a more reputable or 

 cleaner body of men than Is to be 

 found among the professional gar- 

 deners. 



In this proposed campaign to abol- 

 ish the paying of gratuities or com- 

 missions, many measures are outlined 

 but no amount of new legislation, 

 adoption of resolutions, or enactions 

 of pledges will prove effective for 

 there are already statutes on the 

 books of most states to prohibit It, 

 If they could be enforced. There is 

 but one means to minimize the prac- 

 tice and that is to lift those In posi- 

 tion to be recipients of gratuities 

 above the temptation of accepting 

 them by adequately paying them for 

 the services they render. 



It Is regrettable that almost Invar- 

 iably the instigators of this discrimi- 

 nation, which Governor Edge of New 

 Jersey in vetoing a bill this year, di- 

 rected solely at the horticultural In- 

 terests, termed class legislation, are 

 those usually guilty themselves of un- 

 professional conduct in demanding re- 

 bates of firms on business they may 

 direct their way. It would indicate 

 that the motive is selfish rather than 

 altruistic, and with the purpose of 

 casting suspicion to further their own 

 aims. I have found that what most 

 professional gardeners may lack in 

 the suavity of men of other profes- 

 sions, they possess in integrity and 

 that their profession will bear as close 

 scrutiny as any of the allied or other 

 professions 



MASSACHUSETTS HORTICUL- 

 TURAL SOCIETY. 



The Inaugural Meeting of the 

 Massachusetts Horticultural Society 

 for the year 1919 will be held at Horti- 

 cultural Hall, 300 Massachusetts 

 Avenue, Boston, at 12 o'clock noon, on 

 Saturday, January 11, 1919. 



The business of the meeting will be 

 the hearing of an Inaugural Address 

 by the President, the report of the 

 Board of Trustees, the reports of 

 officers, and the reports of the chair- 

 men of the various committees, which 

 reports will be open for discussion 

 and action. 



There will be also an exhibit of 

 fruits and vegetables for which small 

 prizes are offered: 



Apples, one plate Winter apples, 

 twelve specimens; Pears, one plate 

 Winter pears, twelve specimens; 

 Cucumbers, four specimens; Lettuce, 

 four heads; Mushrooms, twelve speci- 

 mens; Tomatoes, twelve specimens; 

 Collection of Vegetables, six varieties. 



The first of the winter course of 

 lectures on horticultural subjects will 

 be given at two o'clock by Dr. Will 

 W. Tracy of the U. S. Department of 

 Agriculture, Washington. The sub- 

 ject will be "Variental Adaptation of 

 Vegetables to Local Conditions." 



The following program of lectures 

 and discussions will be held during 

 the season of 1919 at Horticultural 

 Hall, Saturdays, at 2 o'clock P. M., un- 

 less otherwise stated. 



January 11 — Varietal Adaptation of 

 Culinary Vegetables to Local Con- 

 ditions. By Dr. Will W. Tracy, U. S. 

 Department of Agriculture, Washing- 

 ton, D. C. 



January 18 — The Culture of Coni- 

 fers. By A. H. Hill, Specialist in 

 Evergreens, Dundee, 111. 



January 25 — Home Garden Fruits. 

 Illustrated. By Prof. M. G. Kains, 

 Columbia University, New York. 



February 1 — Gardening After the 

 War. By Leonard Barron, Editor The 

 Garden Magazine, Garden City, New 

 York. 



February 8 — Land Drainage; Its 

 History, Its Problems, and Its Possi- 

 bilities. By Arthur E. Horton, Con- 

 sulting Engineer, Lexington, Mass. 



February 15 — Protecting American 

 Crop Plants Against Alien Enemies. 

 Illustrated. By Dr. B. T. Galloway, U. 

 S. Dept. of Agriculture, Washington, 

 D. C. 



William P. Rich, Secretary. 



Over 1,000,000 bushel dry beans 

 were exported to Belgium July 1 to 

 October 1. 



